Canadian Idol 9/6 - Singers In A Dangerous Time

It's here, guys; the home stretch of Canadian Idol. We're a mere week away from discovering who will inherit Kalan Porter's golden crown. The competition is really heating up. The final three need to kick it up a notch and showcase their talents to the best of their abilities. A lot is on the line tonight and the Idols will battle it out while performing the music of... the Barenaked Ladies?

I love BNL as much as anyone. Unlike other acts that head south and become American citizens, ::coughAlaniscough:: the Barenaked Ladies have a lot of love for their home and native land. Who didn't love the Swiss Chalet reference they through in One Week? However, when I think of vocal gymnastics and show stopping ballads, they aren't the first band to cross my mind.

Each of the Idols, this week, will perform songs from the Barenaked Ladies extensive catalogue and have rehearsed with them prior to performing. Each of the finalists proclaims to be big fans of the group. Do you really think they would show us any footage of one of the Idols saying they thought BNL were crap?

The Kind Of Guy That Laughs At A Funeral
Rex leads off the show in, guess what, his pristine white ball cap! He's selected Brian Wilson and has a good time with the song. My only problem is that it's not really a good time kinda song. Rex gets the audience into it by doing the hand clap above the head. The audience is quickly hypnotized and starts doing likewise. I'm really not sure why, it's a melancholy song, not Old Time Rock & Roll. The judges, however,
eat it up. Jake says that was the most fluid he’s ever sang. Farley predicts he’ll be a successful Canadian rock & roll artist. Sass loved the Counting Crowes vibe and Zack agrees with Farley and predicts Rex will be a huge Canadian star.

What A Good Boy
Aaron insists he’s a huge Barenaked Ladies fan and one of his all time favourite songs is Break Your Heart. If Aaron sang with all his heart last week, he manages to give a little more this time around. Farley says Aaron is the best singer in left in this competition. Sass says he took the Star Search moment and stretched it out for the entire song. Zack makes an awkward comment about Aaron’s appearance, but points out the Ladies managed to have a very successful career looking as they do. Jake, as he so often has this season, takes the opportunity to mock Zack for his appearance. No wonder they have to separate these two. If Zack had pigtails, Jake would be dipping them in ink. Jake does manage to work up enough attention to praise Aaron’s performance and told him they were blown back by his pipes.

Alternative Girlfriend
Melissa follows with The Old Apartment. She says she enjoyed working with the Barenaked Ladies because they embraced her ideas while encouraging her to keep the essence of the song. I have never been a fan of this particular song, but Melissa does a great job of making it interesting. Sass says Melissa, as the only female singer left, had a tough job singing songs made famous by men, but she absolutely pulled it off. Sass adds, contrary to Farley’s opinion, that Melissa is the best singer remaining. Zack announces this isn’t a singing competition but doesn’t elaborate what he means. Of course, we all know what he means, and rather than explain, he just adds how much he adores Melissa. Jake tries to steer the ship back on track since, at this point, it doesn’t matter who the judges like best. Too bad they didn’t care this much when it was time to narrow the field to the Top 32. Jake praises Melissa on her ability to emote and says she might be able to use that in other aspects of life that don’t include singing. Um, that’s great Jake, but despite what Zack says, this IS still a singing competition, so it’s still kinda important. The judges officially have gone off track entirely when Farley compliments Melissa on how she looks tonight and says he loves to watch her sing. These people can go off topic with the best of them.

Trying Hard Not To Smile, Though I Feel Bad
Rex returns with Call And Answer and what appears to be roadkill on his head. Wait, he’s just not wearing his hat and we now realize why he does all the time. Along with What A Good Boy, this is one of my favourite BNL songs and one of the songs I figured someone would perform tonight. My excitement is short lived as Rex proceeds to assassinate the song, especially the rebuild part. I thought he’d never stop. Zack appears to agree as he suggests Rex’s inability to sing might do him in unless the fangirl vote is strong tonight. Jake disagrees with Zack enough to assure Rex that if he couldn’t sing, he wouldn’t be here tonight. He then points out that the portion of the song he sang in his lower register (which was most of the song, by the way) was crap. Farley agrees with Jake, but adds that he has a nice upper register. Sass simply thanks him. Rex appears to not understand what a ‘register’ really is.

It’s All Been Done
Up for his second kick at the can is Aaron, with Enid. Aaron’s dressed in a bright red shirt and is sporting a little red mohawk. He sings a wee bit on the theatrical side, but he runs around the stage and into the audience without even breaking a sweat. Jake says it’s a song that you need to have fun with, and Aaron pulled it off with ease. Farley thinks that often Aaron’s theatrical background has hurt him in past performances, but it helped him tonight. Sass points out, ironically, that Aaron looked like he was leading an aerobics class. Zack says his first performance showed him that Aaron wanted to win the competition, but the second performance looked like a BNL imitation. Aaron interrupts and says the Barenaked Ladies helped him become who he is. Of course, the Barenaked Ladies are in the audience tonight, so that helped earn him some major brownie points as well.

Try My Best Not To Look Like A Minor Niner
Melissa closes out the night with When I Fall. She confesses that she had no idea the song was actually about a Window Cleaner. Farley says it’s times like this when he forgets she’s only 17 and praises her on a smooth, mature and professional performance. Sass fills her quota of stupid as she tells Melissa that she’d catch her if she fell, but she doesn’t think she ever will. Zack incoherently tells Melissa that she’s there and she’s it and that’s all that matters. Wow guys, this is shaping up to be a really valuable critique. Jake decides to go with the most normal of the gang and agrees with Farley.

Next time: The return of Jacob Hoggard and Hedley. (Yay! My favourite part of this flippin’ season, I can guarantee you) In one week, we’ll have our new Canadian Idol.